The Shared Governance Committee of the Associated Students of Madison is preparing for their fall appointment process, in which they choose students to serve as campus representatives on a number of university committees.

“This is an extremely important and incredible opportunity for students at UW,” said Bryan Gadow, ASM Shared Governance Chair. “Wisconsin State Statute 36.09(5) gives students not only the right but also the responsibility to be involved in the decision-making processes at this university.”

Gadow also said the wide variety of committees offers students a number of opportunities.

“The great thing is that students can find a committee that fits almost any of their interests, regardless of their major,” he said.

With a large number of students applying for the positions, ASM uses a number of factors to choose representatives.

“We generally look for experience working with committees,” said Jessica Miller, ASM chair. “Last year, over 1,000 students applied to fill positions on committees; of these 1,000 students, approximately 300 were chosen to fill positions.”

This year the number of students chosen will be higher than last year.

Between 300 and 400 students will be chosen because the Shared Governance committee now appoints alternates for each committee. The alternates will cast votes in the place of a representative, should the representative be unavailable.

There are approximately 25-30 committees, ranging in interest from an Academic Misconduct Panel to a Bicycle-Pedestrian Committee.

In addition to the committees listed on the application, the Police Advisory Board and the Dean of Students committee are accepting applications.

Students interested in either of these should mention this on their application.

The Shared Governance Committee will take the applications, interview applicants and choose the representatives and alternates. Final decisions will be made on Oct. 1. The Committee will then forward the contact information for each student to the respective boards and committees. Each group is responsible for contacting its student representatives and informing them of meetings.

“This is an excellent opportunity for students to truly get involved in the decisions made about student life. I encourage all those interested to apply,” Gadow said.

Applications will be accepted beginning Monday, Sept. 17. All UW students received an e-mail application, which they can fill out and return to ASM. If no application was received, students can pick up a paper copy of the application at the ASM office, 511 Memorial
Union, or they can apply online at http://www.asm.wisc.edu.

The deadline for applications is Sept. 21 at 5 p.m.